“We’re in the middle of nowhere,” I whispered as I picked up another stick.
באמצע שום מקום. No other collection of three words had been as overused because we first set foot in the vastness of the Australian Outback. In this part of the world, practically all over is the “middle of nowhere.”
Our group was divided into pairs, all collecting firewood in between low trees and tall shrubs, sparsely fringing the red dunes. It had all the makings of a tragic thriller: temperature dropping, light dwindling, and dingoes growling in the distance. Every stick we picked up from the ground was followed by a deep sigh (or a silent prayer, had I been a theist). It was always a relief not finding a venomous snake or spider underneath. Australia’s deadly credibility is hard to shake off.
I wrapped my left arm around a stack of half-dozen sticks and dragged a whole slender tree trunk with my best to the side of the road, where our van was parked. Then, we broke the big, long branches into smaller pieces before handing them one by one to Nick, our trip guide, who stood atop the trailer and guaranteed that every firewood, down to every last twig, was in place.
“We’re gonna need these to sleep soundly tonight,” Nick said as he jumped off the vehicle. “We’re spending the night in the middle of nowhere.”
There’s that phrase again.
“And by ‘middle of nowhere’, I imply the middle of fckin’ nowhere,” he added before climbing back to the chauffeur seat. We followed suit, finding our spot inside the van, where we spent the next hour wondering where the hell we were. Soon, the concrete road looked to dirt and the van shook as we headed straight into pitch darkness. After several minutes, we pulled over and braved the cold.
“Welcome to the middle of nowhere,” he said as he started a small fire, allowing us a look at our home for the night. and he wasn’t kidding.
This was just the first night of our three-day camping trip that straddles 1500 kilometers across Australia’s Red Center. Bundled with our accommodation arrangement at Alice Springs YHA, this epic journey organized by The rock trips began in Alice Springs, the Outback’s most significant settlement.
מה מכוסה במדריך זה?
Day 1: Alice Springs and the Kings Canyon
Night 1: getting the Swag
Day 2: Kata Tjuta and Uluru Sunset
Night 2: A much more comfortable Sleep
Day 3: walking ‘Round Uluru
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Day 1: Alice Springs and the Kings Canyon
The 100-m sandstone cliff of Kings Canyon.
Nick picked us up at around 5am at Alice Springs YHA where we spent the previous night. picking up a couple of other passengers along the way, we made our way to our first stop: Kings Canyon.
The Kings Canyon is part of the 71,000-hectare Watarrka national Park, typically overlooked by tourists for the much more well-known Uluru. The site’s many striking feature is its imposing red sandstone cliffs, reaching as tall as 300m. Wrinkling the western edge of the George Gill Range, these walls were a result of the erosion of small cracks in the land over millions of years.
There are three walking trails that one may take to explore the site, and we chose the one that would allow us to have the full canyon experience — the rim Walk. It begins with a climb up the Heartbreak Hill, so-called for the agonizing 500-step trek to the top, where I practically fainted. I wish I could say it was simply because the sights left me breathless — they were spectacular, of course — but also because I was vomiting air in utter exhaustion. It was a steep climb, and one should take the challenge at their own pace.
אבל זה היה שווה את זה. We hiked across the rippled hilltops (all used to be underwater millions of years ago), skirted weathered sandstone domes, squeezed ourselves into crevices, and got acquainted with the site’s geology and ecology. The 6km trail also led us across a permanent waterhole called the garden of Eden.
READ: Kings Canyon rim Walk
After a quick lunch, we hit the road again and headed for our camp site. Along the way, we pulled over to the side of the road three times: to collect firewood, to have a good look at Atila (Mount Connor), and to catch the sun set over Lake Amadeus Salt Lakes.
Don’t go off the trail.
View at the last lookout.
Night 1: getting the Swag
Nick continued driving even after nightfall onto a dirt road, which ended at a camp site, where Nick right away started a bonfire, taught us how to bake a damper (a basic type of bread that uses beer as a essential ingredient), and prepared a easy camp meal. All hands were on deck. Every single one of us was assigned a task. Labor of love, they say, and it made supper a lot tastier and much more filling.
After doing the dishes, we gathered around the fire and viewed Nick show us how to use what they call “swags”, essentially a sturdier and a glorified version of the sleeping bag. “The first think you do after opening one,” he said, “is to check for spiders. Or scorpions. או מה שלא יהיה.” Nick’s humor is in some cases on the rough, honest, almost-scary side, but we love him for it. (I can absolutely say that he’s been the best trip guide we’ve encountered in any country ever. He’s a no-nonsense man but still very adorable. Dunno how he does it.)
Sunset in the Outback
באמצע שום – מקום
When we had our swag and found our spot by the fire, the group exchanged stories about our personal backgrounds, travel plans, backpacking, America, gun control, everything.
There were no restrooms around. “If you need to go,” said Nick, “take the shovel and go.” no one went that night.
I slept in the safety of my swag with only my eyes exposed, glued to the stars. I had never seen the stars twinke this bright. The southern cross was there. Venus, Mars, and Jupiter shone so close to each other. and then, nothing.
Day 2: Kata Tjuta and Uluru Sunset
למחרת בבוקר
I woke up to Nick, walking around with his speakers, blasting Wham’s Wake Me Up before You Go Go! In an instant, everyone was on their feet, rolling up their swags. After a quick stretching, cleaning up, and breakfast, we were on the road again.
Our first stop was an essential one: bathrooms and toilets. but as soon as everyone’s freshened up, we were on our way to Kata Tjuta.
Also called mount Olga, Kata Tjuta is a group of 36 large domed rock formations that span an area of 21.68 sq. km. The rocks are made of conglomerate, boulders bound together by sandstone. It is an important, sacred site for the Aborigines, especially to the women.
Although there are steep sections and some loose rocks to negotiate, hiking around Kata Tjuta is a lot simpler than Kings Canyon. For roughly three hours, the walking track took us to the site’s many breathtaking lookouts.
The Kata Tjuta rising in the background
Kata Tjuta
Kata Tjuta
Our guide Nick discussing how Kata Tjuta was formed.
That’s me on top of a slope in Kata Tjuta.
Next in the schedule was Uluru, the Outback’s many well-known landmark. Our mini-bus stopped on the side of a viewpoint, and we hopped out of the car carrying a video camera in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. We had a good spot, our time-lapse video camera was rolling, and the light was beginning to dwindle. best in front of us was Australia’s many renowned symbol.
“I can’t wait for it to glow,” our new pal Rachel couldn’t include her excitement.
It’s not each day that it does, cautioned Nick. Still, everyone hoped that it would that evening. Our shadows painfully, slowly grew longer as the sun started its descent behind us. the blue skies were no more. The horizon exuded a golden brilliance that painted the scene honey and purple.
And then, it glowed. Uluru reflected the sunset so beautifully, we had to hold our jaws in place.
Uluru glows at sunset
Up close with the glowing Uluru
Selfie time with the whole gang.
Night 2: A much more comfortable Sleep
After a terrific dinner at the viewpoint, we headed back to the camp. This time, we already knew the drill. We fished our swags out of the trailer, rolled them open, checked for bugs, and had a good night’s sleep after another conversation by the fire. It was a lot much more comfortable this time, as we didn’t feel we were in the middle of nowhere anymore. There were other campers not too far away, you could hear their laughter. and there were restrooms. No much more walks of shame with the shovel in tow.
Day 3: walking ‘Round Uluru
Our day began much earlier than the previous morning. This time, we wanted to catch the break of dawn at the same viewpoint where we viewed Ayer’s rock glow. The winter season cold was permeating our not-so-thick jackets, but we stood there just waiting for another celestial totally free show. It wasn’t long until the sun emerged from behind the huge rock, slowly rising as it painted the skies blue this time. It was stunning minute, something I still wish lasted much longer.
Dawn at Uluru
As if the heart of Australia, Uluru stands at the very center of the continent. It is an “inselberg”, or what my pal Wikipedia defines as “an isolated rock hill or knob that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or practically level surrounding plain.” The sandstone huge stands 348m tall. but what makes it amazing is that it is a homogenous monolith, which implies that it lacks parting and jointing at bedding surfaces.
Also called Ayer’s Rock, a name given to it in 1873 in honor of Sir Henry Ayers, the local Anangu call it Uluru. Today, both names are accepted. Over the century, “ownership” and control of this wonder had been a major issue for the Aborigines and the government. because it was opened as a traveler site in 1936, it has been promoted as a place to climb, which (among others) upset the local Pitjantjatjara people. For them, Uluru is sacred and they have always been forbidden to climb it. On 26 October 1985, the land was returned to the localאבוריג’ינים על ידי הממשלה אך יש להשכיר אותם לסוכנות הפארקים הלאומיים וחיות הבר. אז הממשלה והמקומיים ניהלו זאת יחד.
קרא: אולורו שקיעה, זריחה ורגישויות
הליכה בסיסית של אולורו
אז במקום לטפס עליו, בחרנו פשוט להסתובב בזה. מסלול ה- 10-km של Uluru Base Walk, נמשך שלוש עד ארבע שעות כדי להשלים, מה שמבצע עצירות קצרות לקרוא בתצורות סלע ובמדינות חיוניות ונקיפות. הצילום אסור באזורים רבים, שרבים מהם נותרו המקומות ל”טקסים פרטיים “שלא כל הצ’אנגו של אננגו יכולים לראות.
לאחר ההליכה, ניק הביא לנו את האולורו יאה, שם היינו מבלה את הלילה. הטיול הסתיים לנו הכי טוב אז. אבל שאר החבורה הצליחה לבדוק חוות גמלים בדרכם חזרה לאליס ספרינגס.
נסענו לאולורו כחלק מחבילת טיול YHA. זה מגיע עם 2 לילות שהות באליס ספרינגס יה וטיול קמפינג בן 3 ימים באולורו באדיבות סיור הרוק, שעושה עצירה בקניון קינגס (יום 1), קאטה טג’וטה (יום 2) ולבסוף אולורו (ימים 2- 3).
לקבלת מידע רב יותר או להזמנת הסיור, עיין באתר זה.
היכן לשהות: אליס ספרינגס יא הוסטל מספקת מקומות אירוח זולים ביותר בלב מרכז העיר. ניתן להשיג גם טיולי קנגורו דנדי וטיולי אאוטבק (לאולורו). בדוק את האתר הרשמי שלהם בכתובת www.yha.com.au או ספר כאן: אליס ספרינגס YHA Hostel.
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